The Weekly Newspaper of Manhattan Beach Herald Publications - El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 Vol. 7, No. 5 May 1, 2014 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................8 Calendar................................2 Classifieds............................3 Finance..................................3 Food.......................................5 Looking Up...........................2 People...................................8 Pets........................................7 Seniors..................................3 Sports....................................4 Weekend Forecast Friday Sunny 79˚/62˚ Saturday Sunny 72˚/58˚ Sunday Partly Cloudy 65˚/55˚ Earth Day Celebration Honors Sustainability On April 26th, Waste Management of Southern California joined the City of Manhattan Beach at the 22nd Annual VOICE Earth Day Celebration and Concert at Polliwog Park where they honored seven businesses as a part of Waste Management’s Green Business Certification Program. Together, Waste Management, Manhattan Beach Mayor Amy Howorth and Councilmembers Wayne Powell, David Lesser and Mark Burton recognized Trilogy Spa, Nikau Kai, Children’s Orchard, Bacchus Wine, Shore Fit, Two Guns Espresso and Ripe Choice for their sustainability efforts and for providing a healthier work environment for their employees. “The businesses honored have incorporated optimal sustainability practices by reducing waste, conserving water and reducing energy,” said Janine Hamner of Waste Management. “They are the leaders in making Manhattan Beach a greater and greener place to live, play and work.” Pictured from left to right: Mayor Amy Howorth, Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Powell, Council member David Lesser, Green Business honoree The Ripe Choice, Council Member Mark Burton, Green Business honoree Children’s Orchard, WM’s Janine Hamner, Green Business honoree Trilogy Spa, Green Business honoree Bacchus Wine, and Green Business honoree Nikau Kai. Bocce Courts Project Given Boeing Employee Grant By Dylan Little The Friends of Torrance Exceptional Athletes (FTEA) have been working on building three handicap friendly bocce courts at Columbia park, and thanks to the donations of a group of Boeing employees, they are much closer to accomplishing their goal. Long-time FTEA and South Bay Bocce Court Project volunteer Bob Chiota helped the group submit a grant proposal to the Boeing Employees Community Fund, an employee-owned organization that charitably funds community organizations. On April 28, Boeing employees decided to contribute $5,000 to building these bocce courts, the maximum the organization can fund any one project. “I was beside myself,” said Chiota. “We were a first time requester and they rarely give the maximum the first time around.” The Bocce Court Project doesn’t just solicit donations; the group has hosted numerous fundraising events. One of the most notable was last month’s Charity Bocce tournament held in Hawthorne. The event drew in teams from as far as San Diego, with the SNAFU team from Downey and the Andiamo Bocce team from San Pedro winning first and second place respectively. More importantly, the event brought in $3,400 in donations to help construct the courts through entry fees, bake sales and a raffle. The proceeds from this tournament and other fundraising efforts of the South Bay Bocce Court Project are pledged towards turning an unused basketball court at Columbia Park into three handicap- and elderly-accessible bocce courts, which will be available as a safe and convenient place for Torrance’s aging, physically challenged and general populations to enjoy the sport. The group hopes to raise between $55,000 and $60,000 to create three unique bocce courts at the park. These courts are especially important to those with mobility difficulties because according to the South Bay Bocce Court Project all the existing bocce courts in the South Bay are inaccessible to wheelchairs and are difficult to navigate for people who are unsteady on their feet. They are also, for the most part, poorly lit, which makes it hard to have matches that last past sundown. The courts they are planning on building would fix these issues. The proposed designs include lights and other features to make them more accommodating to people with limited mobility, with measures like doors in the backstops to allow wheelchair access, smooth turf instead of dirt to make the lanes less cumbersome. While all these components add to the cost, the South Bay Bocce Courts Project is determined to build them at no cost to the City. They are instead relying on tax-deductible donations. Chiota hopes the community will be generous with the project and see the benefits not only for older residents and special athletes, but for all of Columbia Park’s visitors. He also explained that the group has set up a method so donors can make a taxdeductible gift to the organization anytime they want, so they can help special-needs athletes and get a tax write-off. Already several individuals have written a check to the city of Torrance, with an explanation in the memo field that the money is to go toward constructing the bocce courts. Any funds donated in this manner will make their way to Torrance Community Services director John Jones and will be earmarked until the project has enough funds to start construction. “This makes it a win-win-win for the athletes, the community and the taxpayers,” said Chiota. “It’s the simplest thing in the world.” A game of bocce is played between two players, or two teams of up to four players each. A match is started by having one side throw a smaller ball called the pallino from one end of the court into a zone near the far end of the court. The side that threw the jack is then able to start bowling. Once the first bowl has taken place, the other side has the opportunity to bowl. From then on, the side which does not have the ball closest to the jack has a chance to bowl, up until one side or the other has used their four balls. At that point, the other side bowls its remaining balls. The team with the closest ball to the jack is the only team that can score points. The scoring team receives one point for each of their balls closer to the jack than the closest ball of the other team. The length of a game varies, but is usually between seven and 13 points. Unlike more physical sports like football, soccer or basketball, Bocce can be played by anyone who knows the rules and can throw a ball. The easy to learn, See Bocce, page 4
Manhattan 5_1_14
To see the actual publication please follow the link above